I haven't tried it, Mobjack Bay, although it sounds really intriguing. Black pepper EO is one I've never smelled, although have been tempted many times to buy (however, it's hard for me to justify it at the moment since I've only made one batch of soap in the past 11 months. WTH?!!).
EOCalc.com Blend Reviews
- Thread starter HowieRoll
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
I've been eyeballing that blend as well @Mobjack Bay. I have black pepper, but no grapefruit EO..
I have all the EOs for that blend, but always bypassed it because that much cinnamon would be a skin irritant for me, as well as a major accelerator for the soap batter. Would love to hear how it works out if any of you do try it.
Love this thread. I tried Seascape (rosemary, lemongrass, eucalyptus, cedarwood) and I only made it a few days ago but the cedarwood is dominant but I do also smell the lemongrass. To me it smells more outdoorsy than a seascape scent but I still really like it. I used it at 5% ppo. Can't wait to try some of the others you all have mentioned, especially highbrow and woodlands.
I am under the impression that EO”s should be at 2% for body, 1% for face.
It all depends on the specific EO. Some are not safe even in small amounts; others are relatively safe at much greater amounts.
Has anyone had any tingling issues with any of these eos? My partner is reporting tingling with this blend in a soap I made in April, but I‘m using the soap regularly without any issues.
Not personally, but I think I've heard ylang ylang can cause sensitivity?
I've really been enjoying a new blend. It smells like a spa and a great way to start my morning. It's the In the Dark » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator from eocalc, orange, cedarwood, anise, lavender. I don't like lavender alone or anise alone but this combo rocks! Just FYI if you're looking for a new blend.
Thanks
SoapDaddy70
Well-Known Member
I posted about Star Anise usage rate a long time ago because i bought some of it from WSP and their usage rate was .1% and I double checked with them and they said it was not a typo. I never bothered using it because i could not find a definitive usage rate. This In The Dark blend sounds amazing but worried about the amount of Star Anise it allows for Strong 5% usage rate. it ends up being almost 7x the amount based on WSP’s safe usage rate.
I buy anise essential oil from Bramble Berry and their fragrance calculator is 10% (compared to oil weight). Eocalc has anise star at 5% (compared to total batch weight). It makes a big difference if you are talking dividing by the oil weight or the total batch weight. I don't know if there is a difference between anise essential oil and anise star essential oil. Eocalc is pretty legit, though, and seems very thorough and scientific and I trust it.
Anise essential oil is fascinating especially when combined with other scents.
It definitely depends on where you bought your star anise. My usage rate is 10%, but of course I would never use that much.
OMG, I finally made a test soap with the Black Rose blend and I love it ❤❤❤. It has a fullness from the patch and a little brightness from the grapefruit. The florals are there adding a nice touch, but they’re not at all overpowering. I’m not a big fan of Geranium on its own, so this makes me happy. The added spiciness from the cinnamon and black pepper is perfect. I’m very happy with the scent level at 4% in the test bar.
@AliOop I didn’t have any issues with acceleration, but I only made a single test bar. I will update when I make a loaf, which will be after I test the test bar. According to EoCalc, the blend can be used safely at 5% in soap. I have not had problems with cinnamon leaf in the past. It’s supposed to be much milder than cinnamon bark.
Last edited:
This sounds like my kind of blend too. If you think grapefruit will fade you could sub lemongrass. It lasts.
Sounds lovely. I’m going to try it. Thank you for sharing this!
I've been using a soap scented with the woodland blend that I made in April 2020 (so +2years old) and it still smells very nice and strong. When I first put it in the shower the entire bathroom smelled of the soap (which isn't that impressive since our bathroom is tiny).
The bar was packaged after cure and stored in a cardboard box in another cardboard box (so not much airflow going on)
The bar was packaged after cure and stored in a cardboard box in another cardboard box (so not much airflow going on)
Would that be NDA's Woodland Themes FO?
No, this is a thread where we review the blends from the EOcalc website
Similar threads
